prisons

There has been a major drop in the number of people behind bars in the U.S. An analysis by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press found that between March and June, more than 100,000 people were released from state and federal prisons.

The Connecticut Department of Correction has released results of its COVID-19 mass testing efforts, revealing a positive test percentage of 9%. In May the DOC began testing as many of its prisoners and staff. Out of the 9,504 prisoners tested across the system, 832 were positive. Officials said all but two tested as part of the mass testing effort were…

“What they’re doing is ridiculous, illogical, and arbitrary.” Inmate Michael Liebowitz leveled that criticism toward the Connecticut Department of Correction’s response to the novel coronavirus. He called NBC Connecticut Investigates after watching our series of stories on an exclusive survey of 300 plus correction officers on how the DOC has handled the pandemic. So far seven inmates have died...

Inmate Michael Liebowitz reached out after our NBC CT Investigates stories on how the Connecticut Department of Correction has handled the coronavirus outbreak

A 60-year-old male is the seventh inmate to pass away from COVID-19 related complications under the supervision of the Connecticut Department of Correction.  “The deceased individual was transferred from the Osborn Correctional Institution to the UConn Health Center for treatment on April 30, 2020,” said a DOC spokesperson. “He succumbed to his illness on Tuesday.” He last entered the Connecticut correctional…

Questions remain about how well coronavirus can be contained in our state prisons.  A week ago, the Connecticut Department of Correction announced more than 100 prisoners tested in one of its facilities tested positive for the virus.  System-wide, there have been six coronavirus-related inmate deaths. It has begged the question, is the Connecticut Department of Correction taking enough steps...

More than 300 corrections officers answered our exclusive survey about their concerns over coronavirus and its risks.

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on the state prison system. In one facility so far, a third of the inmates tested positive for coronavirus, but were asymptomatic, as the Department of Correction starts widespread testing.  At least 369 staff members, agency-wide, have also tested positive.  The agency said more than 300 of those have returned to work. NBC…

NBC Connecticut Investigates is sharing some results from an exclusive survey.

Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers is on lockdown after 105 asymptomatic prisoners tested positive for COVID-19, the Department of Correction announced Friday. The Department of Correction began testing all staff and offenders on May 13, starting at Osborn. After testing 617 prisoners, they’ve received results from 339 tests, 105 of which were positive. Some prisoners opted out of being tested….

As the coronavirus pandemic decimates many companies, big business that has become synonymous with the world’s largest prison system continues to make money

A 74-year-old man in the Connecticut Department of Correction system has died from complications due to the coronavirus, officials said Tuesday. Officials said the man was a prisoner at Osborn Correctional Institution. He was taken to a hospital for treatment on April 23, and died Tuesday. The man was serving a 13-year sentence for first-degree sexual assault with a victim…

Two Department of Correction prisoners died Monday due to complications from COVID-19, the department confirmed. These mark the fourth and fifth deaths of prisoners in the state system. The first was a 60-year-old man who was receiving treatment at UConn Health Center after testing positive for the virus, officials said. He was taken to the hospital on April 20 and…

Calls have continued for the Connecticut Department of Correction to release lower-risk inmates early because of the threat posed by coronavirus.   On April 12 the agency announced its first inmate death connected to the pandemic. DOC data has shown an exponential increase in confirmed coronavirus cases inside Connecticut prisons. !function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var e in a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var t=document.getElementById(“datawrapper-chart-“+e)||document.querySelector(“iframe[src*=’”+e+”‘]”);t&&(t.style.height=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][e]+”px”)}})}(); It’s one...

Prisoner advocates are raising concerns over the state’s corrections systems preparedness to handle the pandemic.

Forty-five inmates who were being housed at the Northern Correctional Institution have been medically cleared to leave isolation, the Department of Correction announced Tuesday. Four staff members who were diagnosed with COVID-19 have also been cleared to return to work. DOC officials said the 45 offenders were in the medical isolation unit during their recovery and that healthcare staff monitored…

For the first time in the 19 years that Steven Wales has been a correction officer at Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center, he says he is afraid to go home to his family. “My biggest fear is giving it to them,” said Wales, of his two young children. “They did not sign up for this.” Since March 26, 19 inmates and 10…

Inmates who test positive for the coronavirus will be transferred to Northern Correctional Institution.

The state Department of Correction is moving all inmates who test positive for coronavirus to Northern Correctional Institution in Somers. The decision to move the inmates is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which suggest creating isolation units for prisoners who test positive for COVID-19, according to a release from the Department of Correction. The…

The state Department of Correction is looking at ways to consolidate any prisoners who test positive for COVID-19, and is releasing some prisoners to reduce the spread of the virus.